Online Degrees Today.com 2.0 Online Education, Distance Learning, Online Colleges & Universities » valeria

Finance Your Education: The GI Bill

valeria — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:19:35 +0000

Because online education is a relatively new institution, there has been some question as to whether or not the GI Bill, a military institution begun in 1944, would apply. The answer: It does. Considered an IHL or institute of higher learning, many online education programs are covered under the GI Bill, including non-degree programs like HVAC or other vocational certifications. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs:

The GI Bill is available for attendance at IHLs such as:

Four Year Universities
Community Colleges
Advanced Degrees

Payment is based on the number of classes you attend:

12 hours or more – fulltime
9 – 11 hours – ¾ time
6 – 8 hours – ½ time
less than 6 hours – reimbursed at a rate not to exceed the tuition & fees charged for the course(s).

For graduate level training, the training time is determined by the college – for example, if a 2 hour class is considered full time in a graduate program at your school, the VA will pay you the full time rate.

The GI Bill will allow you to attend more than one college at a time, as long as the classes at both institutions count towards your degree, and the school granting your degree accepts the classes at the second school as part of your requirements. However, the GI Bill will not pay you to take the same classes twice unless you receive a failing grade in a class that is a graduation requirement.

The GI Bill can pay you for more than one degree, for example: it will pay you for a degree in Business and then for a second degree in Computer Science, or for an AA, BA, MA in the same field. Once you have a degree, you could pursue another one provided you have remaining entitlement on your GI Bill. If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.

If you are enlisted, you may be eligible for GI Bill benefits for your education. Family members may also be eligible for financial assistance through the GI Bill.

Get A Harvard Law School Education Online

valeria — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:45:13 +0000

No more must potential law students send out a dozen lengthy and expensive law school applications and wait with bated breath for an opportunity to move across the country, uproot their families, give up their jobs and endure 80-hour weeks full of law classes, study groups and exams. Now, future lawyers need go no further than their computer to gain a fully accredited law degree and join the legal ranks. The South Florida Business Journal reports:

Distance education becomes instant learning. Concord Law School, created in 1998 as the country’s first virtual law school, may rock the foundations of bricks and mortar legal education fortresses. Concord thinks it can radically change the way law is learned. Its strategy harkens back to the pre-bricks-and-mortar era, when the likes of Abe Lincoln and Huey Long of Louisiana “read the law.” Only today, the reading and interaction is played out in cyberspace. Concord plans to extend legal education to all corners of the nation, and for that matter, the Earth. But it also continues to challenge the American Bar Association’s traditional refusal to accredit distance-education schools. Even the ABA last month recognized the importance of high-tech distance learning in public statements. But it may be many years before it openly embraces Concord Law School. That, however, won’t sideline Concord’s first graduating class of Juris Doctors in November, at least a third of whom will be taking the California Bar exam in February.About two-thirds, however, are content knowing the law and applying it to their professions and businesses, the school’s Los Angeles-based dean and founder Jack Goetz said. Besides the J.D. degree, Concord offers what it calls the Executive J.D. and L.L.M. in Health Law, tailored for those applying law in business, but who eschew entering private practice, Goetz said.

Whether students are interested in becoming lawyers or wish only to understand their legal rights and protect their business, online law schools are a great place to pick up a class or a degree. Concord Law School is currently featured at Online Degrees Today.com

Whether students are interested in becoming lawyers or wish only to understand their legal rights and protect their business, are a great place to pick up a class or a degree. is currently featured at Online Degrees Today.com

New Guide Available For K-12 Online Learning

valeria — Wed, 23 May 2007 23:18:06 +0000

Online learning is still a relatively new concept and in public schoolsâ€”notoriously two steps behind in the latest technology even in the most well-funded school systemsâ€”and in an attempt to help clear up any lingering mystery in the process of K-12 e-learning, North American Council for Online Learning has come out with a guidebook for parents and school officials. NACOL’s guidebook, “A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning,” offers answers to many common questions about K-12 online learning. eSchool News reports:

The report answers questions such as what an online course looks like, how students will interact with their teacher, and whether online instruction really works. (The short answer: Yes, if done correctly.) It also addresses issues for educators and policy makers who are considering developing their own online learning initiatives, such as what courses can be taught online effectively, what qualifications and training teachers will need, and what policies states or school districts should have in place before starting an online learning program.

“More than 700,000 K-12 students are already learning online. Educators, policy makers, and parents recognize the benefits of providing new opportunities through high-quality online courses that students can access from anywhere, 24-7,” said Susan Patrick, NACOL’s president and chief executive.

“Yet, despite this growing interest, there are few resources for parents or educators to answer basic questions about online learning. The ‘Primer’ will serve as a tool for parents seeking the best educational opportunities for their children, and for school leaders and policy makers who must understand the essential elements of online learning in order to make informed decisions about implementing these programs,” Patrick said.

The guide is free and can be found at http://www.nacol.org/docs/national_report.pdf.

E-learning Software Patent Issues Due to Hit the Courtroom

valeria — Wed, 23 May 2007 23:17:16 +0000

Online learning isn’t just a matter of email and chat rooms. Most e-schools require students to download their software to enable them to easily access class assignments and turn in homework. It’s this software that is causing a ruckus in the legal system:
Blackboard-the company responsible for the software many institutions use to manage their online education courses-announced that it had been awarded a U.S. patent for E-learning technology. The same day, the company filed a patent-infringement suit against Desire2Learn, one of its primary competitors. For the first time on a major level, the potential conflicts of E-learning’s two main influences clashed, the freedom-of-ideas model of higher education facing off against the intellectual property practices of the tech industry.

The two sides are scheduled to meet with the courts in December, according to the attorney for Blackboard. That company, which already controls about 60 percent of the market for these learning management systems, maintains that most students and faculty won’t be affected by the legal battle. “This is no different from the many, many other E-learning patents that are out there,” says Matthew Small, Blackboard’s lawyer. “It has no negative impact on learning.”
Online students probably won’t see any changes in their current software until after the suit is settled. Online students probably won’t see any changes in their current software until after the suit is settled.Online students probably won’t see any changes in their current software until after the suit is settled.

Online students probably won’t see any changes in their current software until after the suit is settled.

Online Learning References:

Online eLearning Games -Make online learning fun with review games that help people learn in a fun, relaxed way.

Online Textbooks Are a Low-Cost Way to Prepare Students for Online Classes

valeria — Wed, 23 May 2007 23:16:03 +0000

Signing up for a class online is a great way to check out a new career interest without giving up any other schedule commitments. However, it’s not always the most financially savvy way to figure out how much you’re interested in a new career.
One entrepreneur, boggled by the high costs of textbooks, has built a web site where curious students can take a look at potential course topics by perusing free textbooks online at TextbookRevolution.org. Meant to ease the financial burden of textbooks for enrolled students, it can also serve to assist a prospective online student in getting a feel for the material before investing the bucks.
Here’s what U.S. News reports:
The net result for students is that their book bill now averages about $900 a year and can be even more costly for those enrolled in courses like sciences or art history, which use required reading that is particularly expensive to produce. “Lots of material gets added because the publishers want to serve as many people as possible,” says Angelica Stacy, a chemistry professor at the University of California-Berkeley. What’s more, she says, “You end up with huge books that you can’t get through in a course.”

Other avenues for a quick perusal of what you may be in for? Try used books at Half.com, Ebay.com or Amazon.com.